Tesla Model 3 RWD | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Tesla Model 3 RWD | Test Drive

10 February 2025 Redazione News, Tested

Words Andrea Albertazzi / Photos Gian Romero

You know they say “you want easy”? It’s just what comes to mind when a new model arrives here at the office, specced out with every possible option. It doesn’t matter if the price tag doubles and if the version at our door represents the one you’ll probably struggle to see out there in the real world, at least referring to the aforementioned model. For once I wanted to mix things up and turn my back on the high end of the price list, focusing my attention on the so-called entry level. If we then take into consideration what is not only one of the most important electric cars on the market, but one of the best daily cars that your hard-earned savings can buy, everything takes on an even more marked importance.

The Model 3 is updated and it does so in perfect Tesla style, with small but significant bits that refresh the aesthetic aspect, making it at the same time much more pleasant, especially where the 3 lacked a slightly clumsy look compared to the other medium-small model from the company, the fantastic and effective Model Y. But we are talking about the Model 3 and only about it, after all I have in my hands the RWD, or rather the first step into the world of the California-based brand that has always symbolized 100% electric mobility. The innovations are mostly visible at the front, where we have thinner light clusters that make the look of the Model 3 fresher and better connected with a front that continues to connect to what is in all respects a single volume that rises up to the large front window, now more harmonious than before. We have a large panoramic glass roof that accentuates the perception of space on board, an always very clean profile – with the classic disappearing handles – and a rear end also equipped with thinner light clusters.

In addition we then get two new colors – Ultra Red and Stealth Gray – the Model 3 also receives a major refresh in the passenger compartment, where we definitively lose the levers for the indicators, now placed on the left spoke of a steering wheel with a slightly smaller diameter than usual, but still perfect to grip. The Model 3, you know, has no buttons on the dashboard or instrument panel. Everything is at hand – so to say – via the large 15.4-inch horizontal touch display, even the selection of forward or reverse gear, borrowed from what we saw with the powerful Plaid. There are still no air conditioning vents (dual zone), but diffusers that extend across the entire development of the dash that happen to be easily adjustable and allows you to find the desired temperature in a few seconds. Speaking of design, a LED stripe with a configurable color is introduced and runs from the driver’s door to the passenger’s one, offering a beautiful play of light while driving in the evening hours.

The Model 3, as it should be, does not get lost too much in aesthetic frills and continues to do what it is globally acclaimed for, that is, to be driven with less frequent stops for charging than usual. The RWD version, powered by a 53 kWh battery pack, delivers a maximum of 283 horsepower on the rear axle only, which combined with a weight of 1,765 kg make the car brilliant even if not as lightning-fast as its sisters with two engines and all-wheel drive. The mass continues to be felt when moving, mainly due to a type of set-up that is always very soft. In fact, you can intervene on the steering response, cut the power in acceleration for a less expert and dynamic driver, but the Model 3 RWD is more aimed at those who see electric mobility as something functional, leaving the fun part to that playful and technological sector that any Tesla on the price list is equipped with anyway.

It takes a moment to understand how and where to move among the many menus, which are however very clear and intuitive, especially for those who know their stuff. The Google navigation system is excellent as always, allowing you to analyze the charging stations along the route and thus opt for the itinerary that will minimize waiting and stops in order to put energy into the battery pack. I personally preferred Tesla superchargers, noting how recently they are often used even by non-Tesla users. A predictable scenario that we must keep in mind, as electric mobility continues to take hold, albeit much more slowly than they would make us believe. Dynamically, like every Tesla, the Model 3 drives like a velvet glove. It flows smoothly and precisely, in the city as on secondary roads, devouring motorways in total comfort. It is only the braking system that suffers a few extra pounds at higher speeds, making you quickly understand that the available performance should not be understood as a key point of the driving experience, but as a bonus, capable of making the journeys rapid and not exclusively adrenaline-filled. A subtle difference that is thinned out until it disappears as you go up in terms of “engine”.

The manufacturer declares a range that goes from 554 km (with 18″ Photon rims) to 513 km (with 19″ Nova rims). During the boiling hot weeks of July and with air conditioning constantly on, I totaled about 420 km with a full tank of energy, a positive value in any case, especially considering a driving style that has never taken into account the residual range. So you can roam serenely, even with the basic model? Absolutely yes, also because the differences – although significant – do not affect what is ultimately the driving feeling shared with any car coming out of the mind of Elon Musk. The rear wheel drive represents the entry level into the Tesla world, with a starting price of €41,990, perennial software updates and everything that makes a Tesla an electric car that knows how to stand out from all the others, even without a design that could divide.

The Model 3 significantly improves its aesthetics, but without distorting the identity of a medium-sized sedan that can accommodate up to five people and lots of luggage, thanks to the large rear cargo area (with a double bottom) and those extra liters offered by the front one. Children and young people like it for the incredible connectivity and tech aspect guaranteed by the brand and it intrigues everyone because it is unmistakably unique, regardless of the fact that the game of electrification is no longer a solo journey. This is why the Model 3 RWD is the best choice to make, precisely because at a reasonable price it offers the same features as the higher models and makes everything available to the typical family ready to project themselves into the mobility of a tomorrow that smells of today.